If Martina Hingis said she felt as if she wanted to cry earlier in her comeback bid, yesterday’s first-round losses at the U.S. Open might have her on the verge of tears. She followed a doubles loss alongside Daniela Hantuchova with a mixed doubles defeat alongside Mahesh Bhupathi.
Hingis committed consecutive double faults to seal a 6-3, 7-5 loss to defending champions and top seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. Then she and Bhupathi blew a second-set lead in falling to Yung-Jan Chan and Robert Lindstedt 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5).
But other than that, how was she enjoying her comeback bid?
“Yes, great. I wish I was winning, maybe that would help,’’ said Hingis, who made her first appearance at a major since 2007. “Well, we’ve been close pretty much every match. … Sometimes it would help to win one of those.
“Maybe hardcourt is not the easiest one to come back to as well, playing eight weeks in a row. I haven’t stopped since Wimbledon and playing TeamTennis, playing the tournaments. I enjoy it. I feel like I’m playing well. [But] my body is screaming ‘What are you doing to me?’ ’’
With five Grand Slam singles titles on her resume, including winning the 1997 U.S. Open at age 16, Hingis is one of the best players of her generation. But the 32-year-old Swiss had been away from the tour since retiring for the second time in November 2007 (after testing positive for cocaine), and her second comeback has provided a lot more buzz than substance.
Hingis, a nine-time Grand Slam doubles champ, has yet to gain traction in her partnership with Hantuchova, who hails from Hingis’ birth nation of Slovakia. After falling in the second round of their first three tourneys, they have been bounced in the opener of the past two.
Down 6-5 in the second set, Hingis served up three double faults. After the final one on match point, she tossed away her racket with a grimace, plopped down in a chair and buried her face in her towel.
“My calf was killing me. I couldn’t get up on my serve anymore. No, definitely the nerves — not playing at a Grand Slam for six years — doesn’t really help either,” Hingis said.
Asked what she needs to accomplish to keep playing, she replied, “I always play tennis to win matches and to win tournaments, so…”
Asked whether she had given any more consideration to attempting a comeback in singles play, she laughed in exasperation.
“God, give me a break,’’ Hingis said. “No, I haven’t given any more thought to it. I have a hard time covering half the court and trying to be there. Full court is completely different ballgame.”